Driving mechanism for washing-machines.



J. P. DORAUL DRIVING MECHANISM FQRAQASHING MACH|NES.' APPLICATION-HEB TULY 11. 1916.

1,215,503. lamented Feb. 13, 1917.

ATTORNEYS JOHN P. DORAU, OF JEFFERSON, WISCONSIN.

DRIVING MECHANISM 'FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

Application filed July 17, 1916. Serial No. 109,617.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. DORAU, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Jefferson, in the county of Jefferson and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Washing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The invention relates to driving mechanism more particularly for'use in connection with washing machines.

In washing machines of the rotary reciprocating pounder type it is essential that the pounder give the clothes a rub and also that it be moved so as not to strike the clothes each time in the same place. To accomplish this purpose I have provided a mechanism for driving the pounder shaft in which thecontinuous movement of the horizontal drive shaft imparts a progressive rotary movement in one direction to the pounder shaft while vertically reciprocating it and said progressive rotary movement is intermittently interrupted by a brief rotary movement in the opposite direction. .Thus the progressive rotary movement in one direction insures the change of the position of the pounder and this accompanied by the reverse movement of the pounder producing a rubbing action provides for an efficient Washing of the clothes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cushioning means for the pounder to eliminate the customary jar encountered in machines of this type.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view of the device embodying the invention, parts being shown in section and parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section'taken on the line 3-3' of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3 showing the cushioning means applied to the pounder shaft;

Fig. 5 is a view showing a modified form of driving mechanism, parts being in sec; tion;

Fig. 6 is a of Fig. 5;

Fig. is a detail sectional view of a modified form of th gearing connection shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the movement of the pounder. The washing machine to which the driving mechanism is applied consists of a tub or clothes receptacle 9 of usual construction provided with a hinged cover 10 carrying a bracket 11 in which a vertically disposed pounder shaft 12 is journaled and slidably mounted, and a-pounder 13 carried atthe lower end of the shaft 12. V In each instance, the driving mechanism comprises a horizontal drive shaft 14, means for driving said shaft 14, and a driving con nection between saiddrive shaft and the pounder shaft 12. The means for driving section taken on the line 6- 6 the shaft 14 comprises a gear 15 on said shaft in mesh with a gear 16 integral with a fly wheel 17 journaled on a stud shaft 18,

said fly wheel being provided with a groove 17' in which a round rubber band 19 is inserted and which band is adapted to be frictionally engaged by the wheelof a motor (not shown). However any other suitable means may be used to impart movement to the shaft 14 and the principal feature of the invention is the driving connection between the shafts 12 and 14 and the pounder-cushioning means which will now be described.

In each instance this driving connection includes a member having a gearing connection with one of the angularly disposed shafts and an offset universal joint connection with the shaft 12.

In Fi s. l to 4 inclusive I have illustrated the pre erred embodiment of this driving connection. In this instance the member 21 is pivotally connected at one end by a pin 22 to a forked stud 23 whose threaded end 24 engages in the threaded bore 25 of a crank or oflset portion 20 on the shaft 14 whereby a universal joint connection is formed between the crank 20 and the member 21.

In this instance thegge'arin connection for the member 21 consists o a worm 26 formed atone end of said member and slidably and rotatably mounted in a housing 27 including collars 28 pivotally mounted on the shaft 12, said worm meshing with a worm. wheel 29 fixedly secured to the shaft 12 between the collars 28'so that a vertical movement of the collars 28 will produce a vertical movement of the shaft 12. This housing 27 forms a means for maintaining the worm 26 and worm wheel 29 in driving engagement. With this construction as the shaft 11 is rotated, assuming the parts to be in their lowest position and the shaft 14 traveling toward the right, the member 21 will be moved outwardly thus causing the worm to drive the wheel 29 and the shaft 12 toward the left, while the shaft 12 is traveling from its lower to its midposition, then the member 21 is moved inwardly thus causing the worm to drive the wheel 29 and the shaft 12 to the left for a brief interval, while the shaft 12 is traveling from its midposition to its upper position, this being a reverse movement, and then on the movement of the shaft 12 from upper position to midposition on the downstroke there is a pronounced outward movement of the member 21 causing the worm to rotate the shaft 12 toward the left a greater distance than that imparted to it by the previous reverse movement and on the descent of the shaft from midposition to its lowest position there is a decided reverse movement due to the inward movement of member 21 causing the worm to rotate the shaft toward the right but not to as great a distance as its previous forward movement. This movement is made possible by the gearing and the universal joint connection and Fig. 8 roughly illustrates the diagram of movement though it will be understood the forward and reverse rotary movements of the pounder are not precisely as shown in view of the fact that they overlap each other. Thus in this construction it will be noted that during the vertical reciprocation of the .pounder' shaft there is a progressive rotary movement of the pounder in one direction which continuously changes the position of the pounder and which move ment' is interrupted by rotary movements in an opposite direction, the reverse of movement-s, or the rub, occurring as the pounder moves to its upper and lower 'position.

In Fig. 4: I have shown this driving connection provided with a spring connection between the shaft 12 and the worm wheel 29. This onnection is formed by a tubular member 30 surrounding and slidably mounted on the shaft 12 and having its upper end 31 keyed thereto, the worm wheel 29 being rigidly secured to said member 30 and the housing 37 being pivotally mounted thereon in the same manner, as the construction previously described is mounted on the shaft 12.

The upward movement of the housing is limited by a collar 32 secured to the shaft 12 and coiled spring 33 surrounds the shaft 12 and is interposed between the end 31 of the member 30 and a collar 34 secured to the shaft 12 thus forming a yielding connection between the driving connection and the poun'der shaft 12 so that as said shaft moves down on the downward movement of the member 30 and the pounder strikes the clothes the spring will afford a yielding movement of the shaft 12 with respect to the driving connection including the collar 30.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified form of construction in which the member 21' is provided with an'offset universal joint connection consisting of an apertured crank 20 in the aperture 35 of which the ball shaped end 36 of the member 21' is slidably and rotatably mounted and the gearing connection between said member 21 and the shaft 12 consists of an intermittent gear 37 provided with two sets of pin engaging apertures 38 and 39 which are adapted to be respectively engaged by pins 40 and 41 carried by the forked ends 42 and 43 of the member 21, said forked ends being ivotally mounted on the shaft 12 and a apted to engage the gear 37 disposed therebetween 90 for vertieally moving the pounder shaft 12 on the rotary movement of the shaft 14. There are preferably twice as many apertures 38 as there are apertures 39 on the gear 37 so that there will be a progressive 95 rotary movement of the shaft 12 in one direction interrupted by a shorter rotary 'movement in the opposite direction. Thus when the shaft 12 is moving from its lower to its upper position the pin 40 is in mesh with one of the apertures 38 on the gear 37 and the shaft 12 is rotating toward the right on a movement of the shaft 14 toward the right, and then a rotary movement of the shaft 14 toward the left and then as the pounder travels from its upper to its lower 7 position there is a rotary movement to the left but as soon as the pounder strikes the clothes the pin 41 is disengaged and the pin 41 engages one of the apertures 39 on the gear 37 and moves the pounder againtoward the right, in this case the progressive rotary movement being toward the right interrupted by rotary movements in the oppo site direction during the vertical reciprocation of the pounder. Thus in this form also there is a continuous pounder positionchanging movement accompanied by a rubbing movement.

In Fig. 7 I have shown' a modified form v of the intermittent gear connection consisting of the intermittent gear 37 having a set of apertures .38 which are adapted to be engaged by a pin 40 on the member 21. In this construction there is a progressive 126 rotary movement in one direction accompanied by rotary movements in the'opposite direction but when the pounder strikes the clothes on the down stroke the gears disengage and there is an interval of no rotation In ts upward until the pounder starts on i movement.

It will be understood that the yielding connection between the gear and the pounder shaft may be applied to the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 7 in the same way as in Fig. 4.

Thus in each of forms above described during the continuous rotation of the drive shaft 14 in one direction there is a progressive rotary movement of the shaft 12 in one direction which is intermittently interrupted by rotary movements in the opposite direction. In brief the mechanism herein described provides for a continuous pounder changing position movement in one direction accompanied by a rubbing movement.

The invention thus exemplifies a new and improved form of driving mechanism particularly adapted for use in connection with washing machines.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle -thereto, and a driving connection between said shafts for imparting a progressive rotary movement of the vertical shaft in one direction, intermittently interrupted by rotary movements of said vertical shaft in the reverse direction, and for vertically reciprocating said vertical shaft during the rotation of the drive shaft.

2. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a driving connection between said shafts comprising a member having an offset universal joint connection with one of said shafts and a gearing connection with the other of said shafts.

3. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a driving connection between said shafts comprising a member having an offset universal joint connection with said drive shaft and a worm and wheel connection with said vertical shaft.

4. In a driving mechanism, thecombination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a driving connection between said shafts including a worm and wheel connection with one of said shafts and an offset connection with the otherof said shafts.

5. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a drivtion, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, a worm member having an offset universal joint connec tion with said angularly disposed shaft, a worm wheel on said vertical shaft, and means for maintaining said worm and worm wheel in, driving engagement.

7. In. a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto and provided with a crank, a worm member having a universal joint connection with said crank, a worm wheel on said vertical shaft, and means for maintaining said worm and warm wheel in driving engagement.

8. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto and a driving connection between said shafts comprising a worm and worm wheel and means for horizontally and vertically reciprocating said worm during the continuous rotation of said angularly disposed shaft.

9. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a driving connection between said shafts comprising means having a universal joint connection with one of said shafts, and a gearing connection with the other of said shafts.

10. Ina driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of an angularly disposed crank shaft, and a driving connection between said shafts including a worm and worm wheel for vertically and horizontally reciprocating said vertical shaft during the continuous rotation of said crank shaft.

11. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of an angularly disposed shaft, and means including a worm and worm wheel for imparting a rotary and a vertically reciprocating movement to said vertical shaft.

12. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of an angularly disposed drive shaft, and means including a worm and worm wheel for imparting a rotary and a vertically reciprocating movement to said vertical shaft at speeds varying from the speed of the drive shaft.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JOHN P. DORAU. 

